Weather-strip.



No. 659,455. Patented oct. 9,V |900.

G. 'L. SCOVILLE.

(No Modal.)

ZLJQ. J5

UNTTED STATES .GEORGE L. SOOVILLE, OF WEST SUPERIOR, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNORTO TH-E INTROsTILE COMPANY, vOE DULUTH, MINNESOTA.

WEATHER-STRIP.

SPECIFICATION forming part 0f Letters Patent N0. 659,455, dated. October9, 1900.

Application filedFehrnary 10, 1900. Serial No. 4,779. (No model.)

:To all whom t may concern/.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE L. SOOvILLE, a vcitizen of the United States,residing at West Superior, in the county of Douglas and State ofWisconsin, have invented a new and useful Weather-Strip, of which thefollowing is a specication.

The invention relates to improvements in weather-strips.

One object of the present invention is to improve the construction ofthat class of weather-strips wherein a slidable strip is fitted in therecess in the bottom edge of the door to dispense with a threshold-stripon the door-sill, and to simplify the construction and render the deviceefficient and reliable in operation, so that on closing the door thestrip will be positively depressed into firm engagement with thedoor-sill to exclude the weather.

A further object of the invention is to provide means by which theslidable weatherstrip may be readily adjusted or tilted to iit any slantof the floor that may be caused by the settling of a building orotherwise and to enable such adjustment to be effected without takingthe door off the hinges.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination andarrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of a door, partly open,provided with a weather-strip constructed in accordance with thisinvention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view in the plane of the jamband the door, the latter being closed. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectionalview on line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of theslidable weather-strip. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional View of the bumper.Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of one of the adjustable bearings.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

10 designates the door-j amb, which is provided with the usual internalbead or shoulder- 11, against which the door 12 may press or Abear whenit is closed, the door being hinged at 13 t0 the jamb. All of theseparts are ordinary in the art, and no novelty therefor is hereinclaimed.

To accommodate the slidable weather-strip, a recess or channel 14 is cutin the lower edge of the door, and in said recess is snugly fitted aslidable strip 15, which may be made of any suitable material. 'Thisstrip 15 is suspended or hung within the recess or channel of the doorby springs, which serve to actuate the strip, thereby dispensing withmeans for guid'- ing the strip in its proper play and for connectin gthe strip to the door other than by the springs. The strip 15 is capableof a vertical play or movement simultaneously with its endwise movement,and the suspensionsprings are arranged to give the proper travel to thestrip when the door is open, so that the edge of the strip will liepractically flush with the corresponding edge of the door when thelatter is opened. The suspension and actuating springs 21,which areinclined, consist each of a flat piece of elastic metal which is provided at its lower end with a rounded or spirally-bent journal 22 andwith a flat head 23. The journal 22 of the spring is made by coiling ortwisting thelower end of the metal upon itself, and the at head, whichis arranged at the upper. end of the spring, lies at an angle to theinclined spring-shank. The springs are secured within the channel orrecess of the door by fitting the fiat head 23 against the lowerhorizontal face ofthe door-recess and by passing screws 24 through thespring-heads 23, so that the upper ends of the springs are fastenedsecurely to the door. The rou'nded journals 22 of the springs areadjustably connected to the upper edge of the strip 15 by means Ofbearings 16, arranged in recesses 17 and secured to the said strip byscrews 18 or other suitable fastening devices, which pass throughlongitudinal slots or bifurcations 19 of the bearings. Each bearing,which may be constructed of any suitable material, is preferably formedof a single piece of sheet metal having a straight lower or base portionand an upwardly-extending curved portion provided with a lip or iange20. The straight horizontal portion is provided with thesaid slot orbifurcation 19, and the curved portion, which extends upward over thebottom of the IOO recess 17, is adapted to interlock with the journal ofthe spring, the lip or flange being adapted to guide the bearing intoengagement with the journal of the spring and facilitating suchengagement. By this construction the bearings are detachably interlockedwith the springs, and the strip may be applied to and removed from thedoor without taking the latter o its hinges.

The longitudinal adjustment of the bearing for the spring is to enablethe strip to be tilted or inclined at either end, so that it willconform to the configuration of and tit snugly against the floor or sillat any slant of the same that may be caused by the settling of thebuilding or otherwise. If the bearing be moved toward the spring, thecorresponding end of the strip 15 will be thrown downward or lowered,and by moving it in the opposite direction it will be elevated. Eitherbearing may be adjusted in this manner, and the adjustment is effectedWithout taking the door oi the hinges and by simply detaching thebearings from the lower ends of the springs and thereby removing thestrip. The journals of the springs slip under the bearings which hookover the journals, thereby holding the strip in position so that anyjarring of the door will not throw it out of place and yet permittingthe strip to be disengaged and removed by a slight pressure on its frontend. The adjustment of the weather-strip by means of the bearingsobviates the necessity of placing the springs the exact distance apart,for the reason that the strip may be readily adjusted, to bring it intoa position parallel with the floor whether the latter be horizontal orslightly inclined. The springs and strip are thus connected for thestrip to be carried or sustained wholly by the springs, and the latterserve toraise the strip when the door is open, so that the lower edge ofthe strip will lie practically Hush with the lower edge of the door. Thesprings, which have their upper ends xed to the door, are adapted tohave their free ends move or travel in an arc of a circle in order toimpart an endwise movement to the strip simultaneously with its verticalmovement.

The depression of the strip 15 when the door is closed is eected by abumper 25, which is attached to the door-jamb in a position to lie inthe path of the slidable strip. This bumper consists of a strip orlength of spring metal having a slot or fork 26 at one end, and saidbumper-spring is arranged in a vertical position on the door-jamb tohave its upper end fastened securely thereto by a screw 27, which passesthrough a suitable opening in said bumper-spring and is embedded in thejamb. The lower forked end ofthe bumper-spring receives anantifrictionroller 26, which is journaled loosely, as at 29, in the freeend of the spring, and this rolthe slidable strip. To prevent thebumper# spring from yielding unduly under the im-` pact or pressure ofthe spring-con trolled strip 15, I employ an adjustable stop-screw 30,which is secured in the door-jamb at a point between the fastening-screw27 and the anti friction-roller 26a. This stop-screw offers resistanceto the inward movement of the bumper spring under the pressure of thestrip 15 when the door is closed, and said screw 80 maybe adjusted moreor less in relation to the bumper-spring to project the latter atvariable distances from the face of the door-jamb, whereby the bumpermay be adjusted to depress the strip 15 more or less, and thus securenicety of adjustment of the spring-pressed strip, so as to compensatefor shrinkage of the door or sill and effect the tight closing of thespace between the door and sill by the weather-strip. The head of thestop-screw 30 is accessible through an opening 3l, which is formed inthe bumper-spring to permit the operator to introduce the point of ascrew-driver or other implement for engagement with the screwto adj ustthe latter; butthe diameter of the opening 3l is less than the width ofthe screw-head in order that the latter may have proper bearing againstthe bumper-spring to oier resistance to the inward movement of thebumper when the slid able strip presses against the friction-roller,which is carried by the bumper-spring.

Changes may be made in the form of some of the parts while theiressential features are retained and the spirit of the inventioneinbodied. Hence I do not desire to be limited to the specific form ofall the parts, as shown, reserving the right to vary therefrom.

What is claimed isj 1. The combination withadoor, of inclined springssecured to the same, a slidable weather-strip, and means for adj ustablyconnecting the ends of the springs to the weatherstrip, whereby thelatter may be tilted in either direction, substantially as and for thepurpose described.

2. The combination with a door, of incline springs secured to the same,a slidable Weather-strip, and adjustable bearings mounted on theweather-strip and receiving the lower ends of the springs and adapted topermit the weather-strip to be tilted in either direction, substantiallyas described.

3. The combination of a door, provided at nal pressure and withouttaking the door off of the hinges,substantially as described.

4. The combination with a door, of inclined ,springs mounted thereon, aslidable weather-` strip, and bearings adjustably mounted on theweather-strip and provided with `project- ICO ing portions arranged tohook over the ends of the springs and detachably engaging the saine,substantially as described.

5. The combination with a door, of inclined springs secured to the doorand provided at their lower ends With rounded portions or journals, aslidable Weather-strip, and the slotted longitudinally adjustablebearings secured to the Weather strip and having 1o curved portionsengaging the adjacent end of the springs and provided with projectinglips, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in 15 the presence of two Witnesses.

GEORGE L. SOOVILLE. Witnesses:

C. H. CROWNHART, A. O. TITUS.

